This year, the Grammys had a more bittersweet tone than usual. Earlier yesterday, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash. Even those who didn't really follow basketball in-depth knew that Kobe was one of the all-time greats both on and off the court. He accomplished more than most of us ever will by virtue of putting everything he had and more into the game he loved, and he was extremely dedicated to his family and the city of Los Angeles. My heart aches for his family, who not only lost a husband and father, but also lost a daughter and sister. And although the other victims of the crash will naturally not receive as much publicity as Kobe and his daughter, their losses are just as great, and my heart aches for everyone at all affected by this horrific accident.
It was a cruel coincidence that the Grammys took place at the Staples Center, the building Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers called home for so long. Because of what had happened prior to the show, there were numerous tributes and homages to Kobe. They had a spotlight on Kobe's two retired jersey numbers hanging on the wall, and it was illuminating for the entire show. Alicia Keys, the host, also took some time to honor him on more than one occasion throughout the night. One of the first performances of the show was when Alicia and Boyz II Men sang a song called "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" acapella. I thought this performance was really touching and meaningful. Lizzo began her performance by saying "This is for you, Kobe", Lil Nas X featured a Kobe jersey as a part of his "Old Town Road" set, and in the middle of the tribute to Nipsey Hussle, the rapper who was also tragically murdered last year, DJ Khaled took some time to pay respects to Kobe and his daughter, Gianna.
I thought all of the gestures people made to Kobe were really thoughtful, no matter how big or small. Alicia Keys and Boyz II Men's opening song was beautiful, one of the best performances of the night. I also thought the Nipsey Hussle tribute was really well-done, featuring DJ Khaled, Kirk Franklin, John Legend, Meek Mill, Roddy Ricch, and YG. I thought the all white staging and African dancing was a smart choice, sort of celebrating Nipsey Hussle's accomplishments and life. I think more tribute performances should go for a similar tone, celebrating the person's life instead of being serious all the time. Of course, serious tribute performances absolutely have their place, but it would be nice to see more upbeat celebrations of life mixed in.
Demi Lovato's performance was another emotional moment of the night that I really loved. I had said that I was anticipating her return to music, and she didn't disappoint. She performed a new song called "Anyone", which was written a few days before she almost lost her life from an overdose. She called the song a "cry for help" in an interview, asking, “How did nobody listen to this song and think, ‘Let’s help this girl’.” The lyrics were absolutely heartbreaking, with lines like "Tired of empty conversation, 'cause no one hears me anymore", "I feel stupid when I sing", and "I feel stupid when I pray, so why am I praying anyway?" being particularly gutting. This song really represented her at rock bottom, and I thought it was extremely inspiring that she was so open about her struggles. With such a heavy song, Demi understandably got emotional at the beginning and had to restart the song, but she persevered, giving what may be the vocal performance of the night. It's good to have her back.
I also really loved Billie Eilish's performance of "When the Party's Over". I said that I hoped she would do this song because it is my favorite from her, and I was overjoyed that she actually did it! I thought for sure she would do "Bad Guy"! This performance was simple, with Billie being joined by her brother Finneas on piano and just singing the song- no elaborate choreography or effects or anything. I loved the bare-bones style of this performance and thought it was a great showcase of Billie's tender vocal abilities. Billie had a great night at the Grammys, winning five of the six awards she was up for, including all of the Big Four categories (Record, Song, and Album of the Year, and Best New Artist)! She is only the second person to sweep the Big Four categories after Christopher Cross in 1981, which is quite well-deserved, especially after she gave such a stunning performance at the ceremony.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, I really enjoyed Tyler, the Creator's performance! I'm not really familiar with his music, but I thought the energy and staging of his performance was superb. He performed "Earfquake" and "New Magic Wand" with Boyz II Men and Charlie Wilson. I loved how we had soulful vocals from the featured artists juxtaposed with Tyler being aggressive and setting things on fire. I watched this performance with my little brother, who thought it was awesome. And then when Tyler won Best Rap Album for Igor, he was beaming from ear to ear and looked like a little boy who just found out he's going to Disney World. I thought that was incredibly wholesome and adorable. I might have to look into Tyler, the Creator's music- he seems like a pretty cool guy.
Another favorite performance of the night was Lizzo's opening number. She started out doing "Cuz I Love You", which I thought was great. The entire time I'm like, "yes, Lizzo! Sing!" She got so into it. We then had an interlude featuring some ballerinas, and then a familiar intro started playing and she transitioned into "Truth Hurts". As soon as I realized the transition was going on, my jaw dropped and I was delighted. I proceeded to sing every word. I also loved how Lizzo took a break mid-song to do a flute solo! As a band geek, I wholeheartedly adore the fact that one of the biggest artists in the country plays the flute and does so in the middle of her performances. The entire performance was full of energy and just 100% authentic to Lizzo. It's exactly what I'd expect from Lizzo opening the Grammys, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Yet another performance I want to highlight was, of course, Ariana Grande's. She started out doing "Imagine", one of my favorites from thank u, next. I was prepared to be floored by the signature whistle notes she does at the end of that song, but she swiftly transitioned to singing "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music after the first chorus. I thought the orchestral version of this song she did was very classy, and I'd love to hear a full Ariana cover of it. But "My Favorite Things" was obviously a setup for her to perform "7 Rings", a song that samples "My Favorite Things" and is probably her biggest hit. I don't really like "7 Rings" that much, but get me in the right mood and I will be singing every word. I was happily singing along, and I also enjoyed the pink slumber party-esque staging of the performance. She ended things with "thank u, next", which I wasn't really expecting her to do because I thought she'd just do "7 Rings" and call it a day, but I was pleasantly surprised by nonetheless. "thank u, next" is one of my personal top 5 Ariana Grande songs, so seeing it be performed at the Grammys made my day. She sounded gorgeous as always, and I loved how she shouted out her dad by singing "I'll be thanking my dad, 'cuz he's kinda awesome."
Probably my absolute favorite performance of the night was Lil Nas X doing "Old Town Road" with Billy Ray Cyrus, BTS, Diplo, and Mason Ramsey (aka the Yodeling Kid). It was a perfect summation of all the various "Old Town Road" remixes and a whole lot of fun. After Ariana Grande, Lil Nas X is probably my single favorite person in the music industry. Not necessarily my favorite artist, but as a person, I just love everything Lil Nas X stands for. He's so energetic, youthful, and absolutely hilarious, and watching him have the time of his life on the Grammys stage was wonderful. After all the fun with "Old Town Road", he brought out his namesake, Nas, to do a remix of his song "Rodeo" for some more hype. A lot of the performances at the Grammys were heavy and emotional, which makes sense, so it was nice seeing something fun and spirit-lifting to balance out the heavy nature of the show.
Overall, I enjoyed watching the Grammys, because it shows what Alicia Keys emphasized: music is the one thing that can bring us all together, even in dark times. It was a great showcase for tons of talented performers to show their stuff, and it provided us with some emotional, somber moments. It wasn't perfect (it did feel overlong at times), but it was ultimately a celebration of the universal healing power of music. I may do more recaps of other music award shows in the future, I may not, but this was fun to do. I'll write next on Saturday. See you then.
Stellar
Stellar
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